That time I got reincarnated as a maplestory side character
by TheParadoxicalOxymoron
Summary: A very self indulgent spin on the SI!OC genre! Plus some secret hidden chapter bonus!
1. Trickery and Mayhem

So this happened, I regret nothing! Nexon owns maplestory, my wallet, and them sweet sweet ikemens, please don't sue me.

* * *

Haru twirled some hair around her fingers idly and contemplated how she had ended up in this position exactly, as she stared down the double glass doors to her end goal.

Having been born again as a baby to a rich business tycoon of a father and a hyper beautiful supermodel of a mother really did come with its perks sometimes. Like being offered free drinks and snacks when toddling around the store for being oh so cute and afterwards numbers from guys she could hardly care about.. Thank you very much genetics. The negligence that came with the package could be swept under the carpet and forgotten about easily.

They really did try their best to be loving and doting parents but work always came first for them. Family would never be as important in their workaholic, jet-setting eyes.

If she had to say, she might even fit right in with the snobby rich brats of Ourxn Academy, living such a privileged life. But here she was, living in the glitz and glamour of a certain otherworldly but modern Seoul. Korea honestly wouldn't have been her first pick what with all the modern isekai novels popping up in her teenage lifetime. Hey, on the bright side at least she hadn't been born in Overwatch Seoul, though it would have been fun watching DVa blow up hostile enemies in her mecha. Or maybe not, if her life was going to be at stake.

Her English skills had made her some kind of a prodigal child though the less said about her Korean the better.

And yet somehow in all their busy lifestyle choices, her parents managed to find the time to get it going on, gifting her with an equally adorable baby brother, Seobin, who adored her to absolute pieces. Life could not be more wonderful.

* * *

Growing up in the same district as a certain psychic-powered super hero named Kinesis really helped to seal the deal that she wasn't exactly in Kansas anymore. She had almost spit out her cup of sweetened Earl Gray tea when her brother somehow dragged the aforementioned embarrassed Kinesis and an equally bashful Yuna up to their apartment to play, leaving the housekeeper to bustle around to prepare snacks and drinks.

Her brother animatedly described how he had been saved by the duo when he forgot to look both ways while crossing the street, she withheld the urge to plant her face in her hands as Kinesis insisted it definitely wasn't a big deal.

Or it might also have been the fact that she was offered a chance to enrol in Shinsoo International School when her parents casually brought in up in their email correspondence, being taught by the White Mage even if for a few months would certainly have been quite the wild experience.

She became casual acquaintances with the two other children, inviting both to her lavish birthday parties and sometimes getting their other friend Jay as an unashamed tagalong, because who could resist free food? Seobin was the one to continue to further his friendship with the trio and hang out with them after classes and cram school.

Haru decided to go ahead and enrol at the School for the Gifted because that also happened to be where her two buddies were headed. She was aiming to just casually coast along, keeping her head low during her school years. Ugh, she had to appreciate the wonders of math again.

Pretending to be a ditzy, carefree airheaded blonde put one out as a definitive target for school bullies, even in the school of "elites", bullies still existed, who would've thought? She still did have a few fair-weather friends to chat about shallow gossip and the hottest k-pop idols who recently debuted.

Watching Yuna, the vice student president drag actual student president Kinesis along the classrooms by the ear as he complained loudly about how the paperwork for the position seemed to be endless on a daily basis was great entertainment though.

But deep down inside she knew what her main goal in this life was. After having realized who Kinesis had been, and quickly calculating the timeline mentally, she had a chance to truly embrace her inner fangirl. To be able to meet with the suave and ever charming Phantom, even if just for a brief, fleeting moment.

And she knew just what she had to do in order to accomplish her self-imposed mission.

To the surprise of her family, she started throwing herself headfirst into drama and acting classes, she aimed to become one of Korea's leading actresses. A young starlet legend quickly emerged as she juggled between her grades and furthering her acting career. Starting slowly with small roles in dramas and being movie extras. Honestly, she didn't have to put in this much effort but she had already died once so trying new things was surprising and fun to experience.

* * *

When news of a large sinkhole appearing in the bustling streets of Seoul and subsequently Kinesis stopped regularly attending classes alongside student vice-president Yuna, Seobin was beside himself with worry, however, she braced herself for the best night of her life.

* * *

Getting an open invite to Dr Lim's official exhibition at the Cosmic Museum was easily obtained as she expressed interest to her parents and they readily agreed to get it for her. Score. Her brother just scoffed at the fact that she wanted to go to a museum exhibition and decided to kick back at home on the couch.

Unscratch that record and unfreeze that frame, let time continue to flow onwards.

So, decked out in pearls borrowed from her mom, she threw the fanciest white fur shawl she owned across her shoulders and adjusting her sparkling red cocktail dress (the one her brother had given the firm thumbs up to) slightly, scanning the crowded room for general activity while she held onto a black clutch in her free hand.

And then finally the real star of the show appeared, she could hardly hold back a squeal, instead opting to sip calmly at her glass of red wine. She had stationed herself near the door in hopes of catching the first glimpse of the elusive playboy and now here he was in actual flesh and blood.

Reciting lines she had practiced at home to the mirror, she went on to muse, "Who could have predicted such an outstanding landmark of a museum would be built right here in Seoul?" Hey she was taking creative liberties, sue her. "Oh! I heard the amazing Dr Lim was going to showcase some new exhibit here at this museum! What an honour to be able to witness this!" She tittered lightly, sipping at her red wine a little more, cheeks already flushing from the alcohol. She was technically of legal age though.

Decked out in an expensive looking tuxedo, royal blue scarf tossed casually around his shoulders and pinned to the breast pocket was a couple of blue tinged feathers, she could understand why Aria managed to get her heart stolen by this particular individual. His brilliant amethyst eyes met hers as she carried on speaking to thin air and she couldn't help but blurt out, "Hey could I get your number? Or even just a selfie? Are you a celebrity from a foreign country?"

His head tilted slightly in confusion, resembling a curious puppy. "A selfie? What's that?"

She whipped out her phone instantly, doing a mental fist bump, swiping open to the camera function and pointed with her free hand at their faces currently being shown on screen. He nodded his head in bemusement, and his smile could've melted butter, as she gestured to look at the camera on her phone before tapping the screen again to make the current moment an eternal one.

Then he was off again, chatting politely with the other attendees to gather more information. She had went off to the side to immediately set the picture as her new wallpaper. After a while, he disappeared into the other section of the museum and she started to explore on her too.

Bumping into a journalist for the popular M Journal who had come to cover the event, they exchanged brief pleasantries and she even took a photo of her, "Wow! I heard you are quite the awesome up and coming actress, it's a pleasure to be able to meet you in person!" She smiled and dipped her head in embarrassment, waving off her praises.

* * *

Then it was time for a rather shaky Dr Lim to go up the stage in order to give a short speech about the new material he had discovered, flashing images of various ancient artefacts before the final slide showed the mysterious substance that had been found due to the sinkhole. There were audible gasps at how amazing these discoveries were before everyone burst into applause as Dr Lim nervously smiled and bowed once before stepping off the stage for a short break before Director Oh would come to speak about how his funding had contributed towards these discoveries.

Now for Act 2 of this little phase, watching Phantom slyly disappear into the drinks room, she trailed slowly behind him, probably startling him when she shouted, "Hey handsome! Where do you think you're going?"

Pretending she definitely did not see his eye-catching head of blond hair just peeking out from under the cocktail bar, biting back a grin and stifling her laughs to the best of her ability, her black stiletto heels clacked onwards into the other room in a futile search for the person she knew was right there.

"Huh, could've sworn he was just here. Did he go that way?" The woreds she uttered caused the bar to breathe an audible sigh of relief when she left.

All according to Keikaku. Which did meant plan in Japanese. She was a meme lover at heart you know.

* * *

Going by the plot line, the blackout caused by Luminous should happen... Right... About... Now! The museum and its precious exhibits were enveloped in darkness surrounded by confused screams and glass shattering.

Amidst the confusion and chaos, she spotted two shadowy figures slinking stealthily past security to unlock the door to where the Transcendence Stone was located. Now for Phase 3. Jogging quickly before the security doors closed again, she tugged Dr Lim along with her, putting a finger to her lips as the emergency lights kicked in to stop his startled yelps.

"Hi again handsome!" She winked saucily, waving her fingers carelessly as the duo turned trio got caught red-handed in the act of stealing museum property. Getting twin bowguns pointed right at her face as a response was an experience she would gladly never want to encounter again as she smiled internally before letting out an ear-piercing screech, Dr Lim following suit, exclaiming loudly about terrorists trying to steal a precious exhibit.

She could hear the two males arguing with the other very attractive blonde about how weapons had been completely unnecessary in the face of two innocents. Now picking up the pace, she dashed out the museum with the throngs of harried visitors, wide-eyed as bolts of light, shining arrows, and cards got shot out of the newly opened museum. Magic was truly a sight to behold.

"I heard you were the one responsible for noticing this terrorist threat? Would you please kindly provide your eye witness account?" The police officers who had been called to the scene and journalists clamoured for her attention as she did her best to give a shaken and frightened look. "Yes! It was utterly horrible! I was threatened by some madwoman with two bowguns who attended the exhibition!" Clutching at the blanket thrown around her shoulders for comfort, adrenaline already wearing off in the chill of the night, she spotted the giant Abraxas jetting off in the sky back to the other dimension.

So. Totally. Worth. It.

The messages blowing up her phone from an appropriately concerned brother might not be though.

* * *

Phantom couldn't help but wonder if that woman who had pestered him before knew more than she let on. The suspicious twinkle in her eye was highly disturbing when she barged in with Dr Lim on their activities to snag the Transcendence Stone.

But that was all in the past, and it was time to face Damien before everything was consumed by Chaos and all worlds were overwhelmed by the Black Mage's scheme.

* * *

So the Black Mage has been defeated, level cap's been increased again and I'm considering if its worth selling my kidney to buy some level 200 equips to deck out. Wbu? Add me as a friend if you play in the Maplesea Bootes world, Yumeriki is the ign!

I hope you enjoyed this crazy fic, it was pretty fun to throw an SI!OC into an existing minor character jist for fun. The pacing does seem pretty awkward though, I'm not sure how to fix that oops. Let me know your thoughts if there's anything to be improved. Peace out!


	2. Histoire D'Amis

Lo and behold, I live. Nexon continue to resist suing me thanks.

In memory of the very first friendstory playthrough being with my demon slayer lmao. This is a very dead fandom and I'm dead inside too whoo.

* * *

Sugar stifled a large yawn behind the history textbook she had propped up to cover her face, if Professor Will continued to drone on about historical conflicts any further, she would definitely be hitting destination dreamland soon enough.

Yeah, you heard right the first time, her name was Sugar, she got it sung enough teasingly by classmates to her from the Maroon 5 song already. Though she still pitied all the girls named Siri and the bad jokes that followed them around. Her parents were so loving and sweet, that the end product just had to be sugar. Or maybe the light caramel tufts of new-born baby hair inspired them. She was stuck with it now. Curse all naysayers with cavities.

Just then, Dean Stan entered the classroom and everyone immediately snapped to attention, Sugar sheepishly folding the book back covering her face to avoid getting yelled at by "Scary Stan" for daydreaming in class.

"Ahem, attention class, today you will be having a new transfer student, her name is Yume, be nice to her or face the consequences. I have enough of a headache dealing with Hawkeye and Mihile as it is already." The latter part was muttered under his breath.

The class chorused their agreement but Sugar did a double take. Were those wings? Like actual wings sprouting from the transfer student's back? She rubbed her eyes in shock and looked towards the front again.

Yep, purple bat wings were sitting folded on her back. Why was no one else freaking out about this? This was too much, she asked to be excused to the bathroom after introductions were made and sped past the new student to reconsider her life.

Only to return to the new transfer student seated right next to her desk. She 'eeped' meekly as Yume raised an eyebrow at the terrified response she'd garnered.

Fiddling nervously with the two loosely tied twin tails trailing down the sides of her face, her forest green eyes kept flicking to the side before she decided to just take a leap of faith and whisper, "Hello, my name's Sugar, nice to meet you."

Now it was Yume's turn to do a double take of her own at the start of a conversation in the middle of class. "Sugar huh? Nice to meet you too." Her clear voice sent weird tingles down her back.

Sugar nodded hesitantly and turned her eyes back to her history book. She seemed nice enough so that was good, despite the wings attached to her person. Wasn't it uncomfortable to be pressing them against the back of the chair...?

* * *

During lunch break, she grabbed a tray full of food and made her way to the weirdo table. Not that she was really very weird mind you but it didn't seem to matter to the rest of the cohort, being a poor scholarship student that had to study fervently to keep her position otherwise it was goodbye Shinsoo Academy and hello endless disappointment from her parents.

"Omg Sugar, did you see the new transfer student? I heard she climbed a tree to impress Cygnus and she also beat up the bully cuz he threatened Cygnus then challenged her to a duel!" Francis babbled once she sat down. "Not that I really care about that kinda thing, when Orchid still isn't attending school and all..."

"Woah really? She doesn't seem like the type to go all out just to impress someone." A spoonful of soupy rice got shovelled into her mouth.

"How would you know?"

"Uh, she's sitting next to me in class?"

"OMG WHAT!?" Francis flipped the hood of his jacket down just to turn and stare at her dramatically.

"Yeah and also she can hear you."

A very serious nod came from beside her and Francis almost fell out of his seat in shock as he noticed just who had followed Sugar to the table.

"H-h-hello! I'm Francis, number 1 fan of superstar idol Orchid!" A shaky sweaty hand was thrust out in Yume's direction once he had gotten over his surprise.

"Pleasure to meet you, new transfer student Yume here." She grasped his hand firmly without even flinching. She set her own tray down beside Sugar, ignoring the flurry of whispers that had started when she sat down herself.

"So! Did you really climb a tree in the hopes of impressing Cygnus? You do know she has a super scary bodyguard in the form of School President Nineheart right?" Francis quickly got over his embarrassment and started running his mouth.

"Hmm yeah so what?" A nonchalant response from an unbothered girl as she sipped her melon milk and gazed at it in surprise before chugging the whole bottle.

"Did you also beat up the bully?!" Francis' eyes started sparkling at this hero of the student body.

"Yep." Now Yume was on her third bottle of melon milk.

"You're actually a god."

"Nah, I'm a demon." A sly smile curled her lips at her personal inside joke as Francis continued to pepper her with questions.

The bell rang, signalling the end of the lunch period, and everyone shifted to return their lunch trays before leaving to return back to their classrooms.

* * *

"Uh, if you want, I could show you around the school later after classes end!" Sugar piped up when they were walking back.

"Sure, I'd really appreciate that." Yume glanced her way again, hesitated a moment before continuing. "Would you happen to be an undercover goddess by any chance?"

"W-what?! That's such an out of the blue question! No, I'm definitely not! Just a regular human being!" Sugar spluttered in shock. "If you want to work on your pick up lines, you'd better look somewhere else!"

"Just kidding." Yume had a placating expression plastered on her face at the outburst.

"Okay in return, I have a question for you too! Are those wings behind you real?!" Sugar mustered up the courage to ask the thing she had been pondering during their first encounter.

"Ah... So, you can see them huh. Damn you Elwin, your magic sucks and you suck." Yume's hand got crushed into a fist as she cursed out an unknown individual who had promised she would be able to fit in with everyone else in this new world.

"Uhmmmmmm, are you okay? I'm sorry for asking such an invasive question! You don't have to answer me!" Sugar bowed her head in equal parts of shame, fear, confusion, and apology.

As it turned out, Yume spilled the beans about how she was actually from another world and how she had swapped places with the actual transfer student who had fallen into her world by accident. There was also the fact she had to deal with monsters being spawned as a result of this interdimensional shift in space that just so happened to be popping up in this school. But it was totally fine, it wasn't like she was doing this completely against her will or anything, she just had a great heart full of warmth and compassion that everyone praised and applauded.

Sugar's head spun at the deluge of information being spewed by the other girl. However, she didn't have much other choice but to believe it, even though it seemed like no one else was noticing the supposed wings. She herself seemed to be a real special case, and that was it. Not even Francis had any awareness that there was something different about Yume, and he was the supposed occult fan.

* * *

"One more thing, can you actually fly with those?"

"Wanna find out?"

"YES PLEASE."

* * *

Classes continued on without a hitch, Ms Lucid taught English very well, Mr Leon was so-so at art class(but he liked to wax poetic about his utterly beautiful wife and drag the class on sometimes) however Yume was soon being toured around the school with a revitalised and perked-up Sugar.

"So this is the (haunted) science lab, this is the library (generally for nerds), this is the rooftop where cool kids eat (and make out in secret), this is the nurse's office(the nurse's name is Ms Hilla), the school canteen where we ate at earlier in the afternoon, the gymnasium where Mr Magnus is usually found, the student president's office-" Sugar rattled off each location they walked past.

"What was that about the science lab being haunted?"

"Nothing!" Sugar beamed and refused to elaborate any further.

* * *

The sun was slowly sinking in the horizon when they finally reached the main school entrance, where a little brown puppy eagerly ran up to the pair, head tilted in cute innocence.

"The gig's up Elwin, this girl over here can see my wings somehow." Yume cut in before anything else could happen.

"WHAT! I PETTED THIS PUPPY EARLIER IN THE DAY. YOU'RE TELLING ME HE'S SENTIENT?!" Another shock fell upon Sugar.

"Aw darn it, Grendel's gonna beat me up and Lily will help too..." The puppy's fluffy tail sagged in despair.

Sugar couldn't help but pet the despondent canine in reassurance. "At least it's a cute girl though!"

Her comforting hand shot back towards herself as she recoiled in disgust and Yume smirked.

"I'll see you tomorrow then?"

"Yeah, see ya."

The two parted ways at the gate as the otherworlder stayed behind to continue chatting about events behind a clump of bushes.

Her old group of friends at Maple High would not believe the craziness she had been through today! Tess would tease her for being such a magnet of trouble, Olivia would offer curt words of reassurance, and Rondo would be cold but still care if she was okay. Such a group of mismatched misfits but they were her misfits and she wouldn't trade them for the world!

* * *

And then everything else happened as per the plot with Sugar helping to keep a look out for Yume when the situation arose to eliminate the monsters that popped out of the woodwork. The reputation of Yume being a bully gradually ceased and faded into obscurity as the student body witnessed how chill she really was.

* * *

Francis drooling with heart eyes over the picture of Orchid that Yume gifted to him was one she had set as her lock screen to make fun of him. Said idol started to attend classes too! Adding to Francis' continued adoration. P

* * *

She could barely even look at how lovey-dovey Ms Hilla and Mr Magnus had become while Mr Arkarium lurked jealously in the background staring at the couple.

* * *

Cassandra was eccentric as always with her fortune telling and rumor mongering, but you couldn't say her methods weren't effective. Sugar still fully believed the science lab was haunted. And the abandoned building too. There was nothing to be done with changing her opinion. Heaven and earth would move before her heart would.

* * *

The new temporary relief White Mage teacher was hot but every female except Yume and herself turned head over heels for him. Yume warned her to keep a distance from him, a wary expression on her face the whole time, that Sugar couldn't help but acquiesce until the time he left the school premises and she heaved a sigh of relief.

* * *

And she had also met the aforementioned Lily too! She made a very cute kitty but bullied Elwin a little too much.

There was a very pained yet longing expression that had popped up on Yume's face when the incident of the band gang occurred and she had met punk rock Damien and his crew for the first time. Sugar wanted to ask, burning with curiosity, but refrained from poking at an obvious old wound, which would hurt Yume even further. She didn't expect that Boogie really knew how to jam! She had to ask her for some tips on music next time along with Irena, the secret hidden superstar.

* * *

Oh, and she did become casual friends with Cygnus (the angel who bought over the school and prevented it from being shut down in the first place) and her compatriots! Nineheart looked stern but really he was such a softy for Cygnus, Oz and Irena invited her out to eat rice cake skewers at the roadside stall, Ickhart reminded her of Rondo a little (she had to introduce them sometime), and seeing Hawkeye and Mihile butt heads with each other because of their contrasting personalities was always entertaining!

So yeah, it was an incredible school year for Sugar, even if her life had met with peril and danger sometimes, overall it had been awesome! It was sad when Yume said she had to return to her own world in order to chase after more looming threats, but the memories would always be with her and also on her phone!

The actual transfer student when she returned to classes with no one any the wiser wasn't so bad of a friend either.

* * *

End.

* * *

Can you see where I gave up, I bet you can!

Thanks for reading another random instalment of that time I got reincarnated as... What? You say there was no SI!OC in this? You want to sue me for false advertising and clickbait? HAHA I fear nothing. Anything I say will be held against me? Then... PHANTOM, LUMINOUS, LUCID, ORCHID, ETC!

Any feedback will be appreciated, flames will be thrown into the campfire at the radical party I'm hosting that you're not going to be invited to for being a meanie!

See you around! :D


	3. Life Transcends Us All

Me: Started writing about Lucid like 6 months ago and forgot about it

Also me: Anyways here's the world tree Alicia :)))))

Nexon: I've come to sue some people

Me: *running away*

That other chapter will come soon I swear. Just gotta finagle some things. Maybe.

* * *

My eyes flew open at the sound of 4 consecutive dull thuds hitting the ground somewhere beside me, and I yawned widely, having been rudely awakened from my beauty nap on a carefully gathered pile of leaves. Said eyes grew much rounder as I realized what the thuds meant, and I shuffled closer to the spot where the noises had occurred.

As I snuck my way over, I could hear the sounds of loud arguing and the name Neinheart being cursed repeatedly about not warning them properly where they stood in a loose circle with fresh bruises and smears of dirt lining their faces and equipment, with bunches of twigs and leaves sticking out in their hair, but didn't seem too bothered by it. A voice even declared that was the last time they were going to listen to Neinheart about anything.

Apparently, the green haired boy with the animal ears had ended up at the bottom of the heap, hat fallen to the side and wasn't too happy about it as he jabbed a finger in accusation at the purple haired girl with her hair wound up into a braided bun. The warrior girl with brown hair draped across her shoulders in two loose pigtails was trying to placate the duo, and the blond-haired nonchalant boy was casually sweeping dust off of his outfit.

"Uhm, is now a bad time? I can come back later? Is everyone all right? You all seemed to have hit the ground pretty hard." I tried hesitantly, and everyone startled at the same time due to my random voice appearing out of the blue.

"Hey, whaddya know, Neinheart may have been on to something after all." "Well duh, he's the informant for Ereve, the Maple Alliance, and Lady Cygnus after all. It'd be weird if he had given us misinformation about this. Just a little more warning about the hole would've been very nice..."

"H-hello? Nice to meet you all? My name's Alicia, and I'm supposed to be the World Tree otherwise known as the Transcendent of Life I think...?" I cut in further before they could start arguing again and bobbed into a little curtsey, sweeping my green skirt off of the ground.

"Ah! Pleasure to make your acquaintance! I'm Sugar, this is Olivia, Rondo, and Tess!" The warrior girl piped up cheerily, having been shaken out of her shock. As she addressed each individual, they waved in response.

"Can you please get me out of here? I don't know how long I've been trapped here already! I'm going to lose my mind it's been so dull here." I pleaded with the group.

"Yeah sure, there seems to be exits on either side of this place...? Tess, go check it out." Olivia shooed the blond to make a move, and he reluctantly dragged his feet to the right side.

"So Miss Alicia, what made you decide to end up in such a desolate and ominous place to begin with?" Rondo picked up the conversation before the silence grew too awkward.

"I'm not too sure? I think I may have been running from something and ended up here...?" Scrunching my eyes up in thought as fuzzy memories evaded my grasp no matter how hard I scrounged to remember.

"Ah, I see, hmmm, that does sound rather concerning."

"Do you think it could've been the Black Mage that wound up trapping her here?" Olivia pondered in a low whisper.

"HEY! Don't say such worrying things in front of her." Rondo nudged her harshly to get her to stop spouting what he felt was utter nonsense.

"You never know honestly." She shrugged as the Black Mage's presence had pervaded the entirety of Maple World, and it wouldn't be much of a stretch to imagine he had something to do with it, not after what his underlings had done to threaten Maple Island after all.

* * *

A low thud was heard as Tess jumped back down through the hole on the upper level and landed beside them. "Yep, the exit's working fine. Just ended up back where we fell from."

A frown adorned my face as I had definitely thoroughly searched the entire area and found no clear exit. Something wasn't right here...

Rummaging through my pockets, I managed to dig out a ratty old scroll with a triumphant cheer. "Then could anyone of you check if this still works?" Doubtful expressions were exchanged amongst the group, and Sugar decided to take the lead this time, accepting the scroll and ripping it up to activate it. She vanished in a cloud of smoke as worried expressions replaced the doubt.

"Oh, she actually disappeared! I tried before and nothing happened, I was so sure the vendor had cheated me of my mesos and given me faulty scrolls." Musing aloud, their worried expressions changed to ones full of a mixture between concern and disbelief instead.

* * *

"I'm okay! The scroll worked! I did end up back at Sleepywood right in front of Sabitrama!" Sugar bounced back into view after a few quiet minutes of contemplation had passed.

Suddenly, a wide glowing magic circle enveloped them where they stood and before they had any time to react, all of them vanished. Taken aback by this unexpected change in development, I rushed over to the place they had just been in mere moments before and inspected the ground. That had never happened before... I hoped with all my might that they would emerge unscathed.

Just as I thought that, they were abruptly thrown out in the same magic circle, looking much more battered than before.

"WHAT WAS THAT?!" Olivia spluttered in utter disbelief, as everyone looked vaguely traumatized.

"That dragon called himself Vellum, and warned us not to interfere with you any further otherwise it would end with our graves." Tess let out a shudder. "Also said he was a subordinate of someone called the great and mighty Damien? Do you know him?" Shaking my head in the negative, though there was something niggling in the back of my head.

"I know just the person to deal with a pest like that! Just lemme contact Neinheart to see if she's available at the moment." Sugar whipped out a communicator-like device and pressed a couple of buttons.

After a brief conversation, she turned around and beamed brightly. "She said she's on her way!"

* * *

One crackling campfire and pitched tent later, I was trying my best to persuade them to just forget about me and leave everything behind. I didn't want any casualties happening for my sake. They just laughed it off, proclaiming it would be wrong to leave someone behind just because their lives were at stake, continuing to regale me with tales of the outside world.

That just filled me further with anxiety. Another thud, followed by a pained groan jolted me out of my fussing.

"That darned Neinheart..." "I KNOW RIGHT?!" Everyone chorused in response.

"Hey there! The name's Lyris!" The new girl recovered quickly and stuck her hand out for a shake.

"Alicia." I shook the offered appendage with a heavy heart.

"Lyris! It's been forever since we last saw you! How's it been?" Friendly back slaps were exchanged all around as the quartet gathered around for greetings.

"I heard you were looking for some help?" She peered at me with sympathy. I could only manage a helpless shrug before she smiled and turned over to discuss some battle plans.

* * *

"Please do be careful!" I worried even more once they had scouted the area further and found iron wrought gates that led to four different locations, each with a different insignia carved onto them. They waved off my fretting with confident assurances, now that the team had become a quintet, trooping off to tackle the first gate.

* * *

((Insert epic fight scene montage here))

* * *

Dropping the spoils of their successful fights in front of me, a clown hat, queen's tiara, broken horn, and a bunch of red feathers, my eyebrows had raised as far as they could go, mouth already fallen open in surprise that no one had been too gravely wounded. In a bright burst of light, I could suddenly see the exits that they had previously been talking about.

* * *

Then everything hit me all at once, I had been a wandering lost soul drifting through the world and when the world tree had been forced to split between physical body and spirit, I had been sucked into the gaping hole to puppeteer the soul less vessel. It was really weird.

* * *

As I was trooped off to Ereve by some blue fuzzy bird-like creatures, I couldn't help but wonder what was going to happen next. The group that had saved me were chattering in excitement at how awesome the battles with those creatures had been, praising Lyris the whole time for being the MVP of those fights.

I'd gladly take each day as it came then.

* * *

End

* * *

Did I know where the plot was going? Naw. Was it fun anyway? Heck ye. Hope you enjoyed! *scurries around to write more*

Thanks for reading! Stay safe and sane in these uncertain times!


	4. The Lucidity of Dreaming

Nexon you can get right outta here, you see nothing worth mentioning to the lawyers.

Can you guess which chunk I wrote up to and forgot about till now from 6 months ago?

* * *

"Uhm, Athena? Would you mind giving me a couple of pointers on how to aim better?" "Huh, sure! What areas do you need help with?"

"Ah, actually, pretty much everything, I just don't know why despite all my efforts, it just doesn't turn out the way I wanted..."

"No worries Lucid, I'm sure you'll catch up soon enough and impress Mercedes!"

As it turned out, this was my life now, having been reborn into a world I was intimately familiar with. Maplestory. Well up until the City of Dreams, Lacheln. And a little bit after that, sue me I didn't enjoy grinding levels and arcane symbols on a daily basis okay?!

I had tripped over a stray arrow in the field, smashed my head on a rock, attracted the panic of the other elves, and woken up with past life memories, cliché but this was my life now. Therefore, wasn't it just ironic that I ended up being reborn into the form of Lucid? The gods out there had it in for me I swear. And the general timeline was a little fuzzy for me considering the general lifespan of an elf but I was mostly aware of the main sequence of events.

Athena had been a little surprised at my apparent sudden change from giving her the cold shoulder to begging for assistance in improving, but she saw no harm in giving the help I needed. If I needed to pull up my big boy pants and ask for help, you bet your ass I was going to do it to even gain the slightest advantage.

Things could always be worse; I might have ended up in a horror manga instead as cannon fodder! Junji Ito, I'm looking at you and your town of spirals!

Looking at Lady Mercedes interacting with the other citizens didn't stir any unnecessary emotions and instead I sought to better my own skills to the best of my ability. So here I was, attempting to be a friendly rival with Athena rather than sticking to the side-lines and being a wallflower.

Would this truly play out the way I wanted instead of plot logic overriding all of my efforts? Fluffing out my light pink hair and brushing off traces of dirt from the training ground, I left the area with bow in hand to see if I could spot the cave area where the supposed area I'd be imprisoned as a result of other forces at work.

In trying to distance myself from the evil image in the original game, at first, I had tried to grow my hair out to maybe waist level but one of the younger brats threw sap at a good chunk of it in a childish prank war. Tree sap is very, very sticky... Off went that idea. Along with my precious strands of hair.

Twiddling a stray strand around my fingers, I plotted some more. Gothic lolita outfit? Nah. Cyberpunk style instead? Would I actually be ripping off the Xenon aesthetic? Were outfits copyrighted? My train of thought went around in constant circles like a hamster trapped on a wheel with nowhere to go.

Maybe I should just pack my bags and go live somewhere high up in the mountain range, living out the rest of my days as the most beautiful hermit? Climbing up a tree, I settled amongst the branches, admiring the view, plucking a leaf and tracing the veins idly. Thinking really hurt my brain, I should do this less often.

Falling into a gentle nap, soft pink sparkles started to envelop my dreams.

* * *

"I can't believe you're on the computer this early in the morning! Honestly you're insufferable Claire!"

"Have to grind... Must reach the level cap..." Mindless mumbles trailed from my mouth.

"Whatever! Just make sure you remember to turn the stove off after I leave." A wave in dismissal at the voice's general direction.

Is this real life or is it just fantasy?

* * *

My eyes flew open. Oops, was that the reason I ended up like this? Maybe meditating would help with the wild dream fantasizing. It was only then that I realized the flurry of tiny pink butterflies surrounding me, some perching in my hair peacefully.

Well then, it seemed like that traumatic memory was enough to activate my latent abilities. Why was I being so nonchalant about this?! It was really weird. Jumping down from the tree, cursing the developers and writers of this game the whole while, wandering aimlessly led me to a strange rock formation.

Oh, so that's where that location was. Dragging a reluctant Athena with me, the two of us explored the cave thoroughly, even climbing up past the waterfall for a rather scenic view. Letting out a sigh, we exchanged looks and wished that we could let Mercedes enjoy this change of scenery as well. Bursting out into giggles, I wished this moment would last forever.

* * *

Sir Philius eyed me with no small amount of wariness, probably wondering what sort of mischief I was going to get up to on this fine day, as I made myself look as adorable and innocent as I possibly could. It didn't work very well, judging by how his stare got even more judgemental. The second phase of memories vaguely resembled some kind of a music box and me being all fired up to change the plot, wanted to at least help out in some way that wasn't all focussed on impressing Lady Mercedes.

And who better to turn to magic than Sir Philius, the Elder of Magic? Though he did still look rather young. In return to his flinty eyed stare, I managed my widest grin, holding out a scrap of paper. "Do you think it's possible to make something like this?"

A quick, messy doodle of some kind of music box gramophone had him appraising the image, scrutinizing it firmly. "Yes, it may work, I've always thought the area around the fields did seem a little dull. What a great idea, coming from you Lucid!" A pretty back handed remark but I chose to ignore the sarcasm behind it and implored him to teach me how to craft it. Under his watchful eye, I tried my best to craft something up to his standards.

* * *

Cheers went up as Lady Mercedes started winding up the music box, and it began twinkling a soothing melody. Athena even gave me a congratulatory pat on the back, seeing how much effort I had put into making sure it worked properly.

"Lucid, I may have been mistaken about you this whole time. While I am away to battle the Black Mage, I am going to entrust watching over Elluel between both you and Athena. I know you'll be able to handle protecting the citizens and the treasure." Mercedes patted me gently on the head as I basked in her attention with only a small measure of reluctance.

* * *

This was wrong. Something was horribly wrong.

* * *

My eyes flew open yet again. My fingers were freezing but they couldn't even manage to twitch. What happened? Where had it all gone wrong? Had everything been mere delusions? My memories must have only kicked in when I'd been frozen by Mercedes activating the freezing spell. And so, I'd already made everyone forget about me before making my escape to the cave and gotten stuck here. I wanted to scream in frustration but I couldn't do anything. I was helpless...

How far along was I to losing my sanity? Could I even manage to hold onto it until the curse was broken? Beat off the attention from the Black Mage? Shutting my eyes to the darkness again, I brooded. Cryogenics was no laughing matter. Retreating to my thoughts, I sorted out the remaining information into an orderly manner.

Did I still want to go along with all of this? Creating a dream city seemed like a lot of work, and maintaining it long enough to hold out against the heroes while possibly convincing the Black Mage he was kinda bonkers for pursuing his own twisted ideals. Give the Alliance twisted visions of the future to spur them to action? I had to do it. There was no other choice. I had dug this grave on my own, unconsciously or not, and now I needed to lie in it.

Finding countless distractions to chase after, time passed rather quickly. I couldn't even tell what season it was because I was stuck in a cave. Only the constant freezing and thawing of the waterfall beside me told me it might have been spring and winter. Soft drifting of stray petals from the outside also enchanted me. Life was truly beautiful. I was going to make the most of it when I got out of here.

And so, I dreamt. Walking through the dreams of others and of my own, I hopped around, experiencing their fears, hopes, and determination. It only spurred me to waver further. Was this what the beginning of insanity felt like?

* * *

A dark wraith approached me one day and I instantly knew it was one of the Black Mage searching for more subordinates to recruit. Shying away, I still hadn't made up my mind yet!

Hopping onwards, I quickly lost the wraith but bumped into the big bad boss himself. Stopping dead in my tracks, I gulped, averting my gaze. "You find my form intimidating?" If flame eyes could emit amusement, he was doing it pretty well.

In a swirl of black smoke, his appearance changed into that of a more human form with much better manicured nails. Yes, I was focussing on his nails rather than his face, so what? Oh lord he was really hot. I was almost instantly tempted to agree just to be able to stare at his very attractive face on a constant basis. He radiated even greater amusement as my jaw slackened.

"Will you join me, pledge your loyalty to only me, and in exchange I'll set you free from the shackles that bind you in the cave and grant you power beyond your wildest imagination?" Wiping imaginary drool from the corner of my lip, my gaze stiffened. How long had he been observing me to know my physical location? That seemed rather ominous...

Making a big show of thinking it over, tapping my chin in thought. Lucid of the game had leapt at the chance to be free with no questions asked, but I had the chance to be a little more intelligent about it. "Why do you need me anyway?" "I'm sure you're aware of why I require you to join me. Your illusionary powers are far beyond the ordinary, and I need it to play a little trick on some foolish beings that think they can break free of the path that fate was set them on, shattering the chains that hold them in place."

Was he indirectly calling me out somehow? He couldn't have known what I know. Gulping nervously, I gave a small nod. It wasn't like I could deny one of the most powerful being currently in existence. The eye candy was just a bonus. A sweet bonus.

The ice surrounding me shattered, I was engulfed in smoke, and from then onwards, I merely followed the flow of time set for me, falling freely into the sweet embrace of madness.

* * *

Was there any other thing I could have done? Hiding a small smile into the ruined ground, Protective Mask and the motley crew of heroes approached my curled body. I couldn't let them see me like this all pitiful. Summoning the last vestiges of power, a flurry of butterflies surrounded me, teleporting me away to my tearoom.

Hey, so were you satisfied with this outcome in the end? Mister Black Mage?

* * *

End

* * *

It went pretty of the rails huh? Also some kinda sorcery must be afoot to conjure a chapter this quickly lmao. Them plot bunnies at it again!

Thanks for reading if you managed to get this far! Kinda a more serious attempt at writing rather than plot goes out window and everyone has a great time laughing thing.

Continue staying safe! Wash yo hands! Don't wanna end up like Maya of Henesys coughing constantly do you?


	5. Shiro no Mahoutsukai

It's all about that artistic liberty so here I am with some black mage/white mage oc! Cue me frantically flipping through the wiki article on him. Nexon senpai pls no sue thanks love you mwah xoxo

* * *

I, the supposed destined genius white mage, later on black mage and also future driving force for the main plot within Maplestory, was going to go bald from stress and constant hair pulling. Heh, by this point in time, what white mage? I was going to end up being dubbed as the Bald Mage instead! Saitama of One Punch Man fame would be so proud of me. Wasn't the Black Mage supposed to be a hot ikemen in the beginning before he ended up twisted on his search for the ultimate light? Why had he become a she?! Just what was going on here?

Dooming entire worlds after seeking out knowledge seemed like such a silly reason to go cuckoo crazy but that was so far off in the future, I pushed those thoughts aside otherwise I was going to go insane way before the original mage had. If only I'd been dumped somewhere more relaxed, like animal crossing or something...

* * *

Wandering around the early beginnings of Edelstein was interesting, but most of the kids were fearful of me and my apparent difference from everyone here, being from the future I was well educated with knowledge on mathematics or physics. This meant they usually opted to pretend I didn't exist when they played rough and tumble games out in the loose dirt paths away from monsters. I was mostly left to wander about on my own devices, ducking away from creatures, and fashioned a makeshift weapon out of some branches that usually worked in fending off more curious monsters.

Even worse, the two spirits who were supposed to be summoned by me far ahead in the future had somehow started hanging out around me instead after one of my little exploration trips. They didn't speak to anyone else but me, claiming I had a very interesting aura surrounding me and wanted to tag along in any adventures that would come falling into my lap. That had been a fun thing to explain to my parents and siblings about the ominously swirling spirits that stuck to my side like glue and flared up at anyone who they felt were threatening me in any way.

My parents, growing more unnerved as time went on, sent me out on an errand on my own one day, and after I arrived back home, found the door locked and no amount of furious pounding on the wooden barrier triggered any response whatsoever apart from a rough canvas bag being tossed out of a window beside the door. The bag landing right by my feet onto the dusty path with a dull thud. I was left dumbfounded from this abrupt dismissal from the family, but my expectations on familial ties of a past life had apparently been too strong, given that none of my siblings appeared to have protested the decision my parents had made.

Wiping the hot tears that fell, I roughly loosened the knot on the bag and checked its meagre contents. A couple of changes of clothes, a small store of dried food, and a loose bag of mesos were what greeted me. I made up my mind to try my best and reach El Nath on these funds.

* * *

The snow swirled furiously around me as harshly squinted eyes peered desperately through the flurry of flakes that started to frost on my lashes. Lady fortune had smiled down upon me as it turned out there was a delivery ship had been on its way to El Nath and offering some mesos had bought me passage onto the ship, though I was warned to stay in the hold just in case any wild Balrogs that were known to frequent the delivery route happened to show up that day and attack the crew.

The dim glow of the two spirits encouraged me to keep moving, trudging through knee deep snow drifts in hopes of finding the supposed mage academy that had allowed me to stay and learn with them, mentally cursing yet again to not have thought of not purchasing more appropriate attire for weather this cold.

Teeth chattering with a vengeance, I willed my feet to continue taking steps, because to stop would definitely mean imminent death in weather this harsh and unforgiving. Even the wild Pepes and Jr. Yetis were huddled up in their nests, which was good for me because it meant I didn't have to fend off any monsters as I wasn't currently armed, or able to land attacks with the growing threat of hypothermia and frostbite. Random thoughts distracted me enough to keep going as the spirits continued to urge me on with increasing amounts of worry.

Suddenly, I could spot a soft glow in the distance, as I weakly called for help, the glow growing brighter as it approached me. Feeling the last of my strength finally leave me, I collapsed face down in the snow as soft murmurs surrounded me. Vaguely feeling someone pick me up with unexpected gentleness, I finally succumbed to my exhaustion.

* * *

My eyes flew open as a gasp left me. Looking around to gauge my surroundings, I seemed to be in a rudimentary sick bay of some kind. Patting the mattress which I was laying on, it was rather soft, much better than what I had slept on back at my... previous home. Could it really have been considered a home to begin with?

Breathing deeply to calm myself before I spiralled into a panic attack, the two spirits engulfed me in an excited attempt at a spiritual hug. "We were so worried! No master is soooo boring!"

Waving my hands in a placating motion, the two spirits relaxed, seeing that I was now fine. A few minutes later, an older man came in through the doors, presumably to check if I was awake yet, and nodded to me when he saw that I indeed had regained consciousness.

"Bit of a close call if I do say so myself! You were on the verge of death when our shielding wards picked up someone approaching the area! If we hadn't gotten to you when we did, you would probably have lost an arm and some toes as well. What incredible timing you have to seek us out in such a ferocious blizzard, one of the worst ones this year even. You've been asleep for the past 3 days!" Wincing at the barrage of words being thrown at me, I attempted my most apologetic expression and explained my situation.

"If it wouldn't be too much to ask, could I possibly stay here and apprentice under one of the mages here?" He raised an eyebrow so high it almost disappeared under his fringe.

"How do you know we are an academy for mages? We could be a nefarious society bent on corrupting innocent youths like yourself in order to attain world domination or the like." He tested me and my sanity but also confirmed my vague suspicions.

"You did mention something about wards just now, and I've also heard rumours floating around about there being a tower specializing in training mages somewhere in El Nath. Guess I got very lucky?" His raised eyebrow came back down as he pondered my reply. Crossing my fingers, I prayed for a favourable response. "Hmph, I'll talk to the other elders about it and test your aptitude for magic before anything can be decided."

Beaming brightly back at him, he snorted derisively and left the room in a hurry, shutting the door behind him. Gazing out a frosted window, the now gentle falling of snow felt like a good sign after the slew of unfortunate events that had befallen me. Pulling up the thin blanket, I huddled up as the chattering of the spirits started up again from when they had ducked up the blankets before.

* * *

The spectacles of the mages around me appeared to have been knocked askew as I smiled sheepishly. The mana crystal to gauge youths with promising ability had started to glow a brilliant, blinding white the moment I placed a sweaty palm on to its surface. Shifting to sweep my hands behind my back, my smile gained more confidence as I turned to eye each astounded individual in the room.

"So... Does this mean I can study here now?"

* * *

Learning came surprisingly easy to me, throwing myself into the staggering number of books that stacked the shelves on the library, I absorbed as much knowledge as I could. From what I could tell after spending a few months at the tower, most of the mages in general were male and some did try to hit on me but I brushed them off through sheer innocence alone until they mostly learned to stop bothering me before I got nasty via backhanded insults.

The females weren't much better either as almost all of them tended to be petty seeing how the male side tried to get into my good graces. I also did myself no favours with the teachers who were in charge of teaching us the ropes on mastering magic as I would interject whenever I could to ask for clarifications or to question whatever methods they used to invoke magic, much to their ire.

* * *

Managing to charm a silver necklace and gold earring by engraving them with flowers as was their namesakes, my spirit companions hid themselves within these accessories so as to not cause too much alarm amongst my companions.

It had been a pretty fruitful time here at the Tower, as hours seemed to fly by when brewing potions, collecting materials from the wild monsters that roamed the lands, or extracting essences from snow herbs that grew high up in the mountains.

* * *

Continuing my track record of sticking out like a sore thumb, I managed to brew a perfect power elixir, the purest shade of purple in a matter of weeks, distilling herbs and mixing them in differing amounts where my fellow students could only manage a weak imitation of elixirs with muddy shades of pink. Most responded with envious glances at my work as the teachers scrutinised the bottle, pouring a drop of it onto a wounded Jr. Pepe to study its effects. The wound closed up immediately and the teachers had no choice but to grant me the grudging honour of the highest grade they could award in the cohort.

* * *

Bullying was not uncommon during these times, finding carefully inked notes shredded or some of my materials going missing, thrown up onto the snowy roofs of the tower, but everyone was left to fend for themselves so the teachers paid these issues no mind.

Their attempts at it was so pathetic I had to stifle some laughs, sending Orchid or Lotus to retaliate occasionally just to keep those grudges on their toes and for my own amusement, taking care not to alert the teachers of the presences of my dark spirit companions. Was this the start of dipping my toes into Black Mage territory? Transcending Light itself and embracing Darkness?

Well Alcaster and Grendel seemed to worship the ground I walked despite my gender so I suppose some things were working out after all. The two gangly youths were falling over themselves to absorb what I learned in an attempt at snagging me as their mentor in magic, while at the same time bickering with each other about how they were the best student and the other was definitely the worst. Stifling my giggles at how adorable they were acting; I placated the duo by saying there was always going to be room for improvement no matter one's ability.

They scribbled those words down too and took them very seriously to heart. Were they the Genos' equivalent to me being Saitama? I certainly hoped my hairline would survive this entire ordeal.

* * *

Months gradually drifted into years when I discovered that there had been an ancient tome buried underneath all the other books specifically focusing on light magic. Intrigued, I spent most of my nights in the room practicing this form of magic, managing only weak flickers in the beginning but gradually gaining more power in holding the magic stable.

Orchid and Lotus expressed their utter distaste for it and would pounce on the magic like agitated kittens spotting prey for the first time, causing it to flicker out almost instantly. This only caused my control of light magic to drastically improve and not die out when attacked by twin dark spirits.

Once, the light magic flared out from within me and caused a complete whiteout blasting out from within the windows of my room, sending the elders scrambling to examine what caused such a flash. Feigning innocence as I pretended to have been sound asleep, a shrug caused them to scratch their heads in confusion.

* * *

"This is very bad, very bad indeed. We must not let her go out into the world. It could spell disaster for the future of Maple World and its inhabitants!" Gazing into the glimmering crystal ball, the elders had their worst fears realized on their prodigious student discovering the existence of light magic and continuing to experiment on it. "We'll have to stop her before it's much too late!"

Mustering their strength, they steeled their nerves and gathered their staffs or wands to go on the offensive against what might turn into the bloodiest battle for the sake of a future that had yet to be realized.

* * *

"LOOK OUT LOOK OUT! ATTACK COMING!" Orchid and Lotus frantically shook me awake from my bed. Nerves sent chills down my back; this timeline was spiralling out of the original plot. Wasn't I supposed to have until I turned eighteen during a coming of age ceremony to receive an attempt at my life? Why had it come so much quicker than I expected? I must have gotten more complacent with living such a comfortable life.

Throwing all my belongings into a satchel, I fastened my cloak, flinging the hood over my head and hurried to leave before the elders could arrive.

"You're leaving?" Grendel rubbed at his eyes, hearing my footsteps outside his door, and flinging said door open in response. "Yes, I have some urgent business to attend to. Tell Alcaster I'm sorry I didn't have a chance to say goodbye." Flawless lies spilled from my lips as I spotted a snoring Alcaster sprawled over his blanket and shook my head with a reluctant smile. Taking my word for it, the door quietly swung shut and I made a run for it.

"STOP RIGHT THERE!" Flashes of magic sparkled behind me as I ducked and weaved past the attacks. It was for the best that I didn't retaliate, I really didn't want blood on my hands just yet, no matter how twisted I was slowly becoming, I still harboured a soft spot for the ones who had taught me everything I knew related to magic.

Casting a quick snowstorm spell, the dark cover of night shrouded me from view as my footsteps hastened and falling snow covered my tracks. Funny it should snow this heavily from both my arrival and departure of the Tower of Magicians. Fate must be making a fool of me, and laughing at every turn I made.

Gritting my teeth and swallowing back warm, salty tears, I escaped from El Nath and the magicians who were out for blood. Staying at an inn under a fake name was easy enough, and I cast a spell on myself to hide my appearance to make it seem like I was merely an average traveller, not one fleeing for their life.

After casting warning wards, I fell into an uneasy slumber, trusting my two companions to rouse me if anything were to happen and my wards failed to trigger.

Rolling out of the bed with a thud, the blankets tangled up around me, I shook free from the fitful sleep I'd managed to snatch and entered the attached bathroom. At least it seemed like the elders from the tower had given up on me for the moment.

Maple World was huge anyway, I had always wanted to traverse the region and explore while escaping the clutches of some worried magicians. Maybe going on a rampage against the world wasn't such a bad idea after all.

* * *

Utilizing my newly found light powers, I managed to unlock a very useful teleportation skill and ended up staring a giant angry slime in the face. Blasting a sharp blade of light straight into at it, I turned to see who I had ended up saving while it dissolved into a small puddle of sticky, purple goo.

Blonde wavy hair and wary blue eyes stared at me with large amounts of suspicion as the young girl clutched her brown cloak tightly at the fact that a random stranger had popped in out of nowhere to save her from being killed.

"Sorry, that must have startled you, my name is Aster Lumia, mage in training." Offering a hand to bring her off the floor, her arm stretched out to accept my offer.

"Alicia." Her curt response did nothing to diminish my small smile. "Do continue to stay out of harm's way. It'd be a great pity for a lovely lady such as yourself to be wiped from the world." Tipping my head at her, I bowed once before activating teleportation to somewhere else that required my assistance, Phantom would be so proud of my gentlemanly skills.

* * *

On my travels throughout the world, I perfected many more potions and easily distributed them to those who needed them, like tonics and white potions. Word soon spread of a charming young man who was accompanied by two younger, very adorable apprentices and went around helping those in need. Finally settling into my role, I had signed a contract with Orchid and Lotus, giving them human forms much to their delight and they had spent most of their early days hugging me just to see that they could.

Why most of the citizens of Maple World seemed to think I was male didn't bother me much, it could be a good secret identity. Sweeping my long, white hair up into a low ponytail, I studied my meagre chest, letting out a sigh, before looking at my features in the mirror. It was probably the fault of being rather androgynous and me not clarifying with the villagers that I saved.

* * *

Time passed like this, and most people came to understand light magic as the saving grace of humanity, though the remnants of the Magician Tower did protest, many refused to be swayed, having seen what I could do in person. Many brave individuals even sought to learn from me which I was more than happy to do, teaching them to wield the powers of light in order to fend off the monsters that bothered them whenever they left their villages in search of food.

Some talented enough that I could tell might even take over me in terms of power and ingenuity. Like a young boy named Freud for instance when he carried a large egg over to me, intent on asking for advice on how to hatch it. Ruffling his hair gained me a disgruntled expression as I brought out a book on egg care and carefully slotted it into an available space between his arms and the egg, watching his expression brighten with a content expression on mine. He chirped an excited thank you and rushed back home to read it thoroughly.

* * *

Landing in the middle of a desert tribe once had been interesting, they had intelligent looks in their eyes and I decided it would be an excellent location to set up base for further study and synthesizing of materials, so dropping off the foundation for a small town at their feet, I explained my desires and they found themselves agreeing with me, eagerly starting work on construction almost immediately.

Checking back regularly and making minor suggestions on the way the architecture was designed, a thriving city in the middle of the desert was established beside an oasis.

Enabling humanity to flourish had been my goal and a couple of minor hiccups regarding the underbelly of humanity was easily smoothed over as education became more accessible, allowing trade routes to be established and knowledge to flow freely amongst all.

* * *

Tying Orchid's long, milky hair up into two high ponytails the way she liked it, I held her hand in mine while Lotus took the other. Making direct eye contact with the Fairy Queen of Ellin Forest, I bowed before the regal presence and politely requested some loose fairy dust if she could spare it. Utterly charmed by my wiles, she agreed but only if I could regularly stop by in order to fend off poachers who regularly invaded the forest in other to harvest fairy wings to sell on the black market.

It was easy to agree with such a favourable request and I left the flourishing forest with a small bag of dust stowed away in my satchel, Orchid asleep on my shoulders and a quiet Lotus by my side, hand still lightly grasping mine.

* * *

Everything was going great, so why did such a heavy weight still reside in my chest?

* * *

My worst fears were proven true as some of my devout followers claimed that light could not exist without darkness, calling themselves the Aurora society, trying to persuade me to give them my blessing on this pursuit.

Memories of attempted murder from the magicians of the tower in El Nath surfaced, and I couldn't agree with what they were saying, turning them away with a heavy heart.

Hurt by my rejection of their ideals, they secluded themselves in the Forest of Peace and forbade me from seeking them out if I would not approve of what they sought after. Monster attacks surged after the people who were supposed to be protecting the weak people disappeared into the forest, leaving me with more work to deal with.

It was getting overwhelmingly exhausting and a break seemed like nothing more than a distant dream. Less skilled individuals had to step up to fill the shoes left behind, creating even more casualties and mourning families.

* * *

Finding myself at the doorstep of the Aurora organisation, I eyed the mercenary beside me who had arrived the same time I did, following my footsteps with a deep expression of relief. A younger girl by his side eyed Lotus and Orchid much the same way I had to them before beaming at what she supposed were children a similar age to her. The pair gestured for me to knock first which I grudgingly obliged to. Seeing haggard expressions brighten as they saw who it was at the door, they hurriedly ushered me in with words of apology spilling from their lips.

Somehow, they had managed to create monstrous beings of darkness they had deemed Omens, where some had escaped from the now named Great Temple of Aurora to wreak havoc on the populace. Listening to their explanations, my headache came back with a vengeance while the eyebrows on the mercenary rose higher and higher.

The young girl, whose name I learned was Arin, snoozed peacefully in his lap. She was recently orphaned as a result of these Omen attacks.

Letting out a deep sigh, wracking my brain for a solution to the problem I had unwittingly had a hand in. Halting their research for the moment seemed like the best answer I had while I went out to wipe out rogue Omens and preventing more innocent people from being attacked. The mercenary rose a firm hand to offer assistance in hunting these creatures which I was very grateful for and accepted.

* * *

Telling Orchid and Lotus to stay put in the temple was a much harder fight than against any Omen I would have to face as they kicked up a tantrum and turned on the waterworks while also threatening to follow us on the hunt for Omens anyway.

"Please, I don't want to see either of you hurt, you're much too precious for me to risk your lives like this."

Arin, understanding their mind-set but also that she lacked the power to do anything on her own, nodded in agreement. "Yeah! Just let the misters handle all the tough work! They'll be done in no time because they're super-duper strong!"

Their pouts turned to ones of resignation as they buried their faces in my white cloak and let out weak sniffles. "Come back safely okay? I absolutely won't forgive you if you don't!" Sticking out a pinky, they locked their own pinkies with mine while Arin turned a hopeful look towards the mercenary who did the same to her after some wheedling.

* * *

Biting back a grimace, the carnage left behind by the Omens was easy to see, and following the trail led to a large group of Omens terrorizing another village. Nodding to the mercenary, who brought out his sword in return, my staff swung out to send out bright blasts of light whereas he slashed the weakened Omens, and they dissipated into nothingness. Tearful sobs of gratitude engulfed us as the villagers came out of their homes.

Rinse and repeat. Though sometimes we had been too late and were left to face rubble and shattered homes. It was a long, arduous process but gradually we made a sizeable dent in the number of escaped Omens who had wandered all about Maple World.

* * *

Opening the door to the Great Aurora Temple, twin blurs tackled me in a joyous reunion where Arin shyly hugged the mercenary whose name was revealed to be Kao. What an unusual name.

With that, Maple World was saved from complete destruction and ruination. Take that old geezers of the Tower of Magicians, no bad end for me.

Well, there was also that time I had to stop a warring demon race, that time when I met the goddess of Maple World who wanted to thank me profusely for all my help, when I had to stop yet another war from a different dimension, or come between the Transcendent of Time from another world and a snake-looking man who turned out to be her High Priest and was bent on betraying her in exchange for power but those are stories for another day.

For now, Maple World can just live to see a much more peaceful and relaxing future.

* * *

End

* * *

Wow guess where I gave up on writing things on the fly! Only people with large pps and high iq can tell! Thank you for reading another chapter of mine! Just testing small world building things with an oc who's way more determined than I'll ever be heh.

See ya next time ((maybe)) All suggestions for a better reading experience would be greatly appreciated too, I know my writing style is kinda bad...

Stay safe everyone! Drink more water, wash your hands more! Practice that sweet social distancing or my white mage is gonna come over and beat you up! Bye!


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